Senators seek office to probe unsolved civil rights-era murders

Sens. Jim Talent, R-Mo., and Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., have introduced legislation to create an office within the Justice Department dedicated to investigating and prosecuting unsolved Civil Rights-era murders.

"Families [of victims] cannot move forward as individuals without the truth," Talent said.

The Unsolved Crimes Section would "expeditiously" investigate unsolved civil rights murders that occurred before 1970.

Talent said the unit would work with state and local law enforcement, reporting annually to Congress on its progress. The bill (S. 1369) would authorize $5 million for the effort.

Talent said the idea came during talks with Alvin Sykes, president of the Emmett Till Justice Campaign, on the re-opening of the Till case, that of a 14-year-old Chicago teen-ager who was killed while visiting family in Mississippi.

Talent also said he spoke with Attorney General Gonzales before his confirmation about the Unsolved Crimes Section.

"This legislation has gained strong bipartisan support because it seeks to right the wrongs of the past and bring to justice people who perpetrated heinous crimes predicated on racial hatred," Dodd said when the bill was introduced.